Methods for indexing and retrieving text

ABSTRACT

A method for indexing and retrieving text that includes affixing a first text identifier adjacent to a first body of text, the first body of text is included in a physical collection of text, the first text identifier that includes a first iconography; affixing a first page identifier adjacent to a page included in the physical collection of text, the page includes the particular body of text, the first page identifier includes the first iconography; and modifying a list to include a first summary of the first body of text, the list include a table of cells arranged into rows and columns, each of the rows is associated with one of a plurality of iconographies, the plurality of iconographies includes the first iconography, each iconography is associated with one indexing item.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/894,386 filed Aug. 30, 2019, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to indexing systems. Morespecifically, the present disclosure describes methods for indexing andretrieving text.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Information retrieval is the activity of obtaining information systemresources that are relevant to an information need from a collection ofthose resources. Searches can be based on full-text or othercontent-based indexing. Information retrieval includes the science ofsearching for information in a document, searching for documentsthemselves, and also searching for the metadata that describes data, andfor databases of texts, images or sounds. Subject indexing is the act ofdescribing or classifying a document by index terms or other symbols inorder to indicate what the document is about, to summarize its contentor to increase its findability. In other words, it is about identifyingand describing the subject of documents. Indexes can be constructed,separately, on three distinct levels: terms in a document such as abook; objects in a collection such as a library; and documents (such asbooks and articles) within a field of knowledge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference tothe following figures, wherein like designations denote like members,wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a first sheet, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a second sheet, according to other embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a third sheet, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a fourth sheet, according to yet still other embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts a physical collection of text as well as text identifiersand page identifiers affixed thereto, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts process steps of a method for indexing and retrievingtext, according to other embodiments.

FIG. 7 depicts process steps of a method for indexing and retrievingtext, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 8 depicts process steps of a method for indexing and retrievingtext, according to yet still other embodiments.

Unless otherwise specifically noted, articles depicted in the drawingsare not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one havingordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broadutility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment mayincorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects ofthe disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality ofthe above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed andidentified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best modecontemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure.Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrativepurposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, manyembodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, andequivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodimentsdescribed herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail inrelation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that thisdisclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure, andare made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enablingdisclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments isnot intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patentprotection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, whichscope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It isnot intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by readinginto any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appearin the claim itself.

Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps ofvarious processes or methods that are described herein are illustrativeand not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, althoughsteps of various processes or methods may be shown and described asbeing in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processesor methods are not limited to being carried out in any particularsequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps insuch processes or methods generally may be carried out in variousdifferent sequences and orders while still falling within the scope ofthe present disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope ofpatent protection is to be defined by the issued claim(s) rather thanthe description set forth herein.

Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refersto that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to meanbased on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that themeaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisanbased on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from anyparticular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that themeaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan shouldprevail.

Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an”each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a pluralityunless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join alist of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does notexclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein tojoin a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingsand the following description to refer to the same or similar elements.While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described,modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. Forexample, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to theelements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described hereinmay be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to thedisclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description doesnot limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure isdefined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers.It should be understood that these headers are used as references andare not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosedunder the header.

Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures anddescription. It should be understood at the outset that, althoughexemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and describedbelow, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented usingany number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The presentdisclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementationsand techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.

The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover,while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in thecontext of the indexing and retrieval of text, embodiments of thepresent disclosure are not limited to use only in this context.

Information retrieval is the activity of obtaining information systemresources that are relevant to an information need from a collection ofthose resources. Searches can be based on full-text or othercontent-based indexing. Information retrieval includes the science ofsearching for information in a document, searching for documentsthemselves, and also searching for the metadata that describes data, andfor databases of texts, images or sounds. Subject indexing is the act ofdescribing or classifying a document by index terms or other symbols inorder to indicate what the document is about, to summarize its contentor to increase its findability. In other words, it is about identifyingand describing the subject of documents.

Indexes can be constructed, separately, on three distinct levels: termsin a document such as a book; objects in a collection such as a library;and documents (such as books and articles) within a field of knowledge.Embodiments disclosed herein seek to provide methods for the indexing oftext that is included in a physical collection of text. As used herein,“physical collection of text” refers to books and periodicals (e.g.,newspapers, journals, newsletters, magazines, and similar serialpublications that appear in a new edition on a regular basis).Embodiments of the instant application seek to disclose methods forretrieving the indexed text.

In preferred embodiments, the method includes the use of a first sheet100, a second sheet 200, and a third sheet 300. The method can alsoinclude the use of a fourth sheet 400. The first sheet 100, the secondsheet 200, the third sheet 300, and/or the fourth sheet 400 (“thesheets”) each preferably include a plurality of printed paper, plastic,vinyl, or other material that has pressure sensitive adhesive on oneside (e.g., stickers, adhesive labels, adhesive notices, etc.). Forexample, the pressure sensitive adhesive can be used for temporary orpermanent attachment. The sheets can each be or include any colors,shapes, and/or sizes to facilitate one or more embodiments disclosedherein. As depicted in FIG. 1, the first sheet 100 preferably includes aplurality of text identifiers (e.g., text identifiers 110 and textidentifiers 115) on the pressure sensitive adhesive on one side.

For example, each text identifier 110 includes an enumeration 120 andeach text identifier 115 includes an enumeration 125. Each set of textidentifiers preferably includes a specific iconography (e.g., a specificshape and/or color). For example, each text identifier 110 includes aniconography 130, which is hexagonal in shape. Similarly, each textidentifier 115 includes an iconography 135, which is triangular inshape. FIG. 2 depicts the second sheet, generally 200, according tocertain embodiments. The second sheet 200 preferably includes aplurality of page identifiers (e.g., page identifiers 210 and pageidentifiers 215). For example, each page identifier 210 includes anenumeration 230 and each page identifier 215 includes an enumeration235. Each set of page identifiers preferably includes a specificiconography (e.g., a specific shape and/or color).

For example, each page identifier 210 includes an iconography 130 andeach page identifier 215 includes an iconography 135. In other words,text identifiers and page identifiers that have the same iconography andenumerations are configured to be used together. FIG. 3 depicts thirdsheet, generally 300, according to other embodiments. The third sheet300 preferably includes a list 305, which includes a table of cells 306arranged into rows (e.g., rows 315) and columns (e.g., columns 320 and325). In other embodiments, a row 315 can include one or moresubordinated rows. Some rows are used to store text summaries (e.g.,text summary 310 and text summary 330). Some rows include enumerations335. In preferred embodiments, each row is associated with aniconography (e.g., the iconography 110 and the iconography 115). Here,each iconography (e.g., the iconography 110) is associated with anindexing item 316 (e.g., fear, promises, healing, angels, strength). Inpreferred embodiments, each row is enumerated (i.e. includes anenumeration 330) to coincide with the enumeration of a particular textidentifier and page identifier. For example, text summary 310 (“TEXTSUMMARY A”) coincides with the enumerations 120 and 230 of the textidentifier 110 and the 210 page.

FIG. 4 depicts a fourth sheet, generally 400, according to certainembodiments. The fourth sheet 400 preferably includes the sameiconographies as the first sheet 100 and the second sheet 200 (e.g., theiconography 110 and the iconography 115). The iconographies included inthe fourth sheet 400 can be affixed to the list 305 to associate theindexing item 316 with a particular iconography (e.g., the iconography110). For example, iconography 115 is preferably affixed to the list 305to thereby associate the iconography with indexing item 317. Hence, textidentifiers (e.g., the text identifier 110) and page identifiers (e.g.,the page identifier 210) that each include, for example, the iconography110 are associated with the indexing item 316. The text identifiers andthe page identifiers that have the same enumerations are related.

FIGS. 5-8 are utilized herein to depict the process steps of a method toenable indexing and retrieval of text, according to other embodiments.To be sure, the process steps described herein may be modified bysubstituting, reordering, or adding step to the disclosed methods. Asused herein, text identifiers 510 and 505 are text identifiers thatperform the same function(s) as text identifiers 110 and 115 (e.g., eachtext identifier includes an iconography and enumeration). Pageidentifiers 515 and 520 are page identifiers that perform the samefunction(s) and includes the same components as the page identifiers 210and 215 (e.g., each page identifier includes an iconography andenumeration). The text identifier 505 and the page identifier 515 eachinclude the same iconography (e.g., a heart) and enumeration (e.g.,“1”). Similarly, the text identifier 510 and the page identifier 520each include the same iconography (e.g., a hexagon) and enumeration(e.g., “4”). At Step 600, a first text identifier (e.g., the textidentifier 505) is affixed adjacent to a first body of text (e.g., text525), the first body of text is included in a physical collection oftext 500, and the first text identifier comprises a first iconography(i.e. the heart shape). At Step 605, a first page identifier is affixedadjacent to a page 535 included in the physical collection of text 535,the page 535 includes the first body of text, and the first pageidentifier comprises the first iconography. At Step 610, a list 305 ismodified to include a first summary of the first body of text (e.g.,similar to the text summary 330), the list 305 is a table of cellsarranged into rows (e.g., row 315) and columns (e.g., columns 320 and325). Here, each of the rows is associated with one of a plurality oficonographies (e.g., the iconography 110 and the iconography 115). Theplurality of iconographies include the first iconography and each isassociated with an indexing item (e.g., indexing item 316 and indexingitem 317).

At step 615, a second text identifier (e.g., the text identifier 510) isaffixed adjacent to a second body of text (e.g., text 530), the secondbody of text included in the physical collection of text, and the secondtext identifier includes a second iconography (e.g., the hexagon shape).At Step 620, a second page identifier is affixed adjacent to a secondpage (e.g., the page 535 or another page) included in the physicalcollection of text, the second page includes the second body of text,the second page identifier includes the second iconography, and thesecond iconography is not the first iconography. In embodiments wherethe same iconography is shared by the first iconography and the secondiconography, each would include a different enumeration. At Step 625,the list 305 is modified to include a second summary of the second bodyof text (e.g., the text summary 310), the plurality of iconographiescomprise the second iconography. At Step 630, a first sheet (e.g., thesheet 100) is formed that includes a plurality of the first textidentifiers (e.g., the text identifiers 110) and a plurality of thesecond text identifiers (e.g., the text identifiers 115). At Step 635,each of the plurality of the first text identifiers are enumerated(e.g., include enumerations 120) to correspond to one of the rows 315 ofthe list 305.

At Step 640, each of the plurality of the second text identifiers (e.g.,the text identifiers 115) are enumerated (e.g., include enumerations125) to correspond to one of the rows 315 of the list 305. At Step 645,a second sheet (e.g., the sheet 200) is formed that includes a pluralityof the first page identifiers (e.g., the page identifiers 210) and aplurality of the second page identifiers (e.g., the page identifiers215). At Step 650, each of the plurality of the first page identifiersare enumerated (i.e. each includes an enumeration 230) to correspond toone of the rows 315 of the list 305. At Step 655, each of the pluralityof the second page identifiers are enumerated (i.e. each includes anenumeration 235) to correspond to one of the rows 315 of the list 305.

In some embodiments, at Step 700, a first row (e.g., the row thatincludes text summary 330) included in the rows is modified toaccomplish Step 610. Here, the first row is associated with the firsticonography and the first row includes a first enumeration (e.g., “1”)that corresponds to the first text identifier and the first pageidentifier, as depicted in FIG. 7A. To retrieve the text associated witha text summary, the page identifier that shares the same iconography andenumeration as the text summary is located. Next, the text associatedwith the text summary is retrieved when the text identifier that sharesthe same iconography and enumeration as the page identifier is located.

In certain embodiments, at Step 705, a second row (e.g., the row thatincludes the text summary 310) included in the rows 315 is modified toaccomplish Step 625, the second row associated with the secondiconography, the second row comprises a second enumeration (e.g., “4”)that corresponds to the second text identifier and the second pageidentifier, as depicted in FIG. 7B. To be sure, different iconographiescan each include the same enumeration since each iconography isassociated with a particular indexing item. In other embodiments, thephysical collection of text 500 is formed to be a book or a periodicalat Step 805. At Step 810, the physical collection of text 500 is formedto at least include the first sheet 100, the second sheet 200 and thethird sheet 300 (i.e. the list 305). In other words, the physicalcollection of text 500 can include the first sheet 100, the second sheet200 and the third sheet 300 to facilitate the indexing and retrieval ofinformation included therein.

Although the disclosure has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for indexing and retrieving text,comprising: affixing a first text identifier adjacent to a first body oftext, the first body of text is included in a physical collection oftext, the first text identifier comprises a first iconography; affixinga first page identifier adjacent to a page included in the physicalcollection of text, the page includes the particular body of text, thefirst page identifier comprises the first iconography; and modifying alist to comprise a first summary of the first body of text, the listcomprises a table of cells arranged into rows and columns, each of therows is associated with one of a plurality of iconographies, theplurality of iconographies comprise the first iconography, eachiconography is associated with one indexing item.
 2. The method of claim1, further comprising: affixing a second text identifier adjacent to asecond body of text, the second body of text included in the physicalcollection of text, the second text identifier comprises a secondiconography; affixing a second page identifier adjacent to a second pageincluded in the physical collection of text, the second page includesthe second body of text, the second page identifier comprises the secondiconography, the second iconography is not the first iconography;modifying the list to comprise a second summary of the second body oftext, the plurality of iconographies comprise the second iconography. 3.The method of claim 2, further comprising: forming a first sheet, thefirst sheet comprises a plurality of the first text identifiers and aplurality of the second text identifiers; enumerating the plurality ofthe first text identifiers to each correspond to one of the rows of thelist; and enumerating the plurality of the second text identifiers toeach correspond to one of the rows of the list.
 4. The method of claim3, further comprising: forming a second sheet, the second sheet tocomprises a plurality of the first page identifiers and a plurality ofthe second page identifiers; enumerating the plurality of the first pageidentifiers to each correspond to one of the rows of the list; andenumerating the plurality of the second page identifiers to eachcorrespond to one of the rows of the list.
 5. The method of claim 4,further comprising forming the physical collection of text, the physicalcollection of text is a book or a periodical.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein forming the physical collection of text comprises forming thephysical collection of text to include the first sheet, the secondsheet, and the list.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying thelist to comprise the first summary of the first body of text comprises:modifying a first row included in the rows, the first row associatedwith the first iconography, the first row comprises a first enumerationthat corresponds to the first text identifier and the first pageidentifier.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein modifying the list tocomprise the second summary of the second body of text comprises:modifying a second row included in the rows, the second row associatedwith the second iconography, the second row comprises a secondenumeration that corresponds to the second text identifier and thesecond page identifier.
 9. A method for indexing and retrieving text,comprising: affixing a first text identifier adjacent to a first body oftext, the first body of text is included in a physical collection oftext, the first text identifier comprises a first iconography; affixinga first page identifier adjacent to a page included in the physicalcollection of text, the page includes the particular body of text, thefirst page identifier comprises the first iconography; modifying a listto comprise a first summary of the first body of text, the listcomprises a table of cells arranged into rows and columns, each of therows is associated with one of a plurality of iconographies, theplurality of iconographies comprise the first iconography, eachiconography is associated with one indexing item; affixing a second textidentifier adjacent to a second body of text, the second body of textincluded in the physical collection of text, the second text identifiercomprises a second iconography; affixing a second page identifieradjacent to a second page included in the physical collection of text,the second page includes the second body of text, the second pageidentifier comprises the second iconography, the second iconography isnot the first iconography; and modifying the list to comprise a secondsummary of the second body of text, the plurality of iconographiescomprise the second iconography.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: forming a first sheet, the first sheet comprises a pluralityof the first text identifiers and a plurality of the second textidentifiers; enumerating the plurality of the first text identifiers toeach correspond to one of the rows of the list; and enumerating theplurality of the second text identifiers to each correspond to one ofthe rows of the list.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:forming a second sheet, the second sheet to comprises a plurality of thefirst page identifiers and a plurality of the second page identifiers;enumerating the plurality of the first page identifiers to eachcorrespond to one of the rows of the list; and enumerating the pluralityof the second page identifiers to each correspond to one of the rows ofthe list.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising forming thephysical collection of text, the physical collection of text is a bookor a periodical.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein forming thephysical collection of text comprises forming the physical collection oftext to include the first sheet, the second sheet, and the list.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein modifying the list to comprise the firstsummary of the first body of text comprises: modifying a first rowincluded in the rows, the first row associated with the firsticonography, the first row comprises a first enumeration thatcorresponds to the first text identifier and the first page identifier.15. The method of claim 14, wherein modifying the list to comprise thesecond summary of the second body of text comprises: modifying a secondrow included in the rows, the second row associated with the secondiconography, the second row comprises a second enumeration thatcorresponds to the second text identifier and the second pageidentifier.
 16. A method for indexing and retrieving text, comprising:affixing a first text identifier adjacent to a first body of text, thefirst body of text is included in a physical collection of text, thefirst text identifier comprises a first iconography; affixing a firstpage identifier adjacent to a page included in the physical collectionof text, the page includes the particular body of text, the first pageidentifier comprises the first iconography; modifying a list to comprisea first summary of the first body of text, the list comprises a table ofcells arranged into rows and columns, each of the rows is associatedwith one of a plurality of iconographies, the plurality of iconographiescomprise the first iconography, each iconography is associated with oneindexing item; affixing a second text identifier adjacent to a secondbody of text, the second body of text included in the physicalcollection of text, the second text identifier comprises a secondiconography; affixing a second page identifier adjacent to a second pageincluded in the physical collection of text, the second page includesthe second body of text, the second page identifier comprises the secondiconography, the second iconography is not the first iconography;modifying the list to comprise a second summary of the second body oftext, the plurality of iconographies comprise the second iconography;forming a first sheet, the first sheet comprises a plurality of thefirst text identifiers and a plurality of the second text identifiers;enumerating the plurality of the first text identifiers to eachcorrespond to one of the rows of the list; and enumerating the pluralityof the second text identifiers to each correspond to one of the rows ofthe list.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: forming asecond sheet, the second sheet to comprises a plurality of the firstpage identifiers and a plurality of the second page identifiers;enumerating the plurality of the first page identifiers to eachcorrespond to one of the rows of the list; and enumerating the pluralityof the second page identifiers to each correspond to one of the rows ofthe list.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising forming thephysical collection of text, the physical collection of text is a bookor a periodical.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein forming thephysical collection of text comprises forming the physical collection oftext to include the first sheet, the second sheet, and the list.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, wherein modifying the list to comprise the firstsummary of the first body of text comprises: modifying a first rowincluded in the rows, the first row associated with the firsticonography, the first row comprises a first enumeration thatcorresponds to the first text identifier and the first page identifier;and modifying a second row included in the rows, the second rowassociated with the second iconography, the second row comprises asecond enumeration that corresponds to the second text identifier andthe second page identifier.